Chapter 1
"Phil, come meet our new neighbors!" Mrs. Coulson called to her son. It took a few minutes but eventually Phil came round the corner, a comic book in his hand. The six year old studied the new neighbors: a taller redheaded woman and a redheaded girl who looked about her age. She had freckles splattered across her nose and cheeks. "Say hello, Phil."
"Hullo Phil." He parroted.
"This is Mary and Ellie Johnson." Mrs. Coulson gestured between her son and the Johnsons. "This is my son Phillip. Why don't you take Ellie and go play in your room?"
"She's a girl." Phil complained to his mother.
"Be nice." His mother warned.
Phil squinted his eyes at Ellie suspiciously before he spoke. "Do you like Captain America?"
Ellie nodded shyly. "He's my favorite."
"Come on then." Phil said with a huff. He led her back to his room, stomping the whole way. When Ellie saw the countless Captain America posters covering the walls and the stacks of comic books piled on the floor, her jaw dropped.
"Where did you get all this?" Ellie asked.
"My dad gave it to me." Phil said.
"These are so cool." Ellie giggled. "I had some stuff but it's gone now."
"What happened to it?" Phil asked, sifting through some comics.
"Our house burned up." Ellie said.
Phil looked at the posters that covered his walls, carefully studying them before pulling one off the wall and handing it to Ellie. "You can have this one."
The young girl stared at the smiling Captain on the poster and grinned from ear to ear. "Thanks."
"Do you want to play heroes?" Phil asked.
Ellie nodded eagerly, setting her new poster down carefully.
"I'll be Captain America and you can be the bad guy."
"I want to be Captain America." Ellie whined.
"You can't. You're a girl."
"So?"
"Girls can't be Captain America. He's a boy." Phil picked up a cardboard shield that was decorated like the Captain's.
"Can to." Ellie countered.
"Can not." Phil argued. "Come on. Let's play."
The mothers found their children a few hours later, chasing each other around in Phil's room. The children were laughing gleefully and panting for breath.
"Ellie, it's time to go." Mrs. Johnson said.
"But Mom..." Ellie protested.
"Can Ellie come back tomorrow?" Phil asked and Ellie grinned at him.
Mrs. Coulson and Mrs. Johnson shared a look before Mrs. Coulson spoke. "Sure. I don't see why not."
This was how their friendship started. Ellie came over every day after school and stayed until her mother got home from work, usually playing heroes with Phil. Despite his initial protests, Phil warmed up to the idea of Ellie playing the Captain but only on special occasions. While the Captain was both of their favorites, they enjoyed all the superheroes in their comic books, often wishing that they had some kind of special powers themselves.
"Look." Ellie held up a picture of Phil in a uniform and cape. "You're a superhero."
"What's my power?" Phil asked, taking the picture from her and examining it.
"I dunno. What do you want it to be?" Ellie asked, sitting up from her position on the floor.
"I want to be like Cap." Phil said eagerly. The six year old had a slight obsession with the man.
"Then that's your power." Ellie said. "You can be Captain Phil."
The pair dissolved into laughter and continued with their coloring.
A/N: This story is going to start with the youngsters and progress through their lives to the events of the Avengers. I have seen the Avengers but I haven't read any of the Marvel comics so if I get anything horrendously wrong, please tell me. Reviews are always welcome. I don't bruise easily. :)
